I would like to keep an american phone number for 2-factor authentification and keeping some other things (like my whatapp account).
I just recently moved to Okinawa, but when I lived in the UK, I made things work by having a dual sim with google fi + a UK sim card.
I was going to try this in Japan, but I’ve realized that google has disabled my service due to “international overuse”. Now that google fi is out, are there any good options for keeping my same phone number but switching services?
For example, is there an alternative to google fi that I can transfer my american number to? Or maybe some kind of way I can convince google fi to actually give me service again? (I intend to continue to live in Okinawa for about 2 years)
A suggestion was to switch over to google voice, but I have tried this and it unfortunately requires a text-message confirmation with the origional service I was using — which seems to no longer work.
I have spoken countless times with the project Fi customer service, and they are completely useless. Essentially they are claiming that because I have been using my phone internationally for an extended period of time, that they will be secretely disabling features like calling and SMS, and they will not provide me with any support until I am in the US.
4 comments
I am not sure if it can be done out of the US, but get the cheapest T-Mobile pre paid e-sim and enable call over wifi. If you do so your phone will show that there is no signal but if you are connected to a wifi with internet, you can make calls, get text and still be able to keep your number.
If you still can, port your number from Google Fi to Google Voice. You may need to VPN into the US to do it. Unfortunately, it does get tagged as a VOIP numbers so some SMS-based 2FA services will refuse to accept it or will accept and then never deliver.
> I have spoken countless times with the project Fi customer service, and they are completely useless.
They’re not completely useless. You’re violating the terms of service that you agreed to, and they are taking the resulting action that is clearly defined in those terms of service. Don’t try to pin the blame on someone else when they don’t let you break the rules.
I am guessing you are in the military (or related), so my first piece of advice is to see if there is some exception.
My next piece of advice is to go to the US, reactivate Google Fi, and disable the SIM on your phone when you come back to Japan. You can still make and receive calls and send and receive texts from the Google Fi website without being flagged, as long as the Google Fi sim on your phone is disabled.
I used callcentric for a while. You pay $1/mo for the number and another $1/mo for texting I believe. Gets the job done.